The Madras High Court has extended the interim protection granted to comedian Kunal Kamra until April 17 in connection with an FIR filed in Mumbai over remarks allegedly targeting Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Justice Sunder Mohan directed Kamra to approach the appropriate legal forums in the meantime, maintaining the protection from arrest granted on March 28, which was initially set to expire on April 7.
On the same day, Kamra also approached the Bombay High Court to request the quashing of the FIR filed against him. The plea was mentioned urgently before a bench led by Justice Sarang Kotwal, which agreed to hear the matter on April 8. Kamra had moved the Madras High Court earlier because he resides in Villupuram, Tamil Nadu.
The FIR stems from a controversial joke made by Kamra during his show “Naya Bharat,” in which he indirectly referred to Eknath Shinde as a “gaddar” (traitor) without naming him. The comment referenced Shinde’s political split from the Shiv Sena. Following the performance, angry Shiv Sena workers vandalized the Habitat studio in Mumbai, where Kamra had performed. Twelve people were arrested over the incident and later released on bail.
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